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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Dale Ibitz was born in Oxford, Connecticut, grew up in the state of Washington, and then re-located back to Connecticut as an adult. Always a lover of books, she spent much of her childhood reading, visiting the library (her best friend's mother was a librarian), and writing. She majored in English at Central Connecticut State University, and she's been writing young adult fantasy and mid-grade contemporary for seventeen years. Wow!

Dale's a fan of hiking and the outdoors, seriously good writing, and she never, ever starts the day without chocolate and coffee (preferably together). Music inspires her, and she likes to listen to alternative metal. When she listens to lyrics, she finds herself imagining stories behind the words...it's a great writing exercise. What a great idea for a fantasy writer.

Dale is, by nature, a klutz and has years of funny tidbits of real-life comical events which she constantly seems to stumble in to. If you were to visit Dale's house, you'd meet her husband, 2 kids, their dog Lea (most people simply refer to her as The Beast...and for good reason), and their cat Luna (affectionately known as Loony Luna). And Yes, I stole this from Dale's Amazon Author Page where you can see her YA Fantasy series, which also looks like good reading.

Thanks for being here, Dale.I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your book.
It was Soul Mate Publishing in fact! When they first showed interest in Kiss Me Dead, I wasn’t putting too much stock in it…other publishers had expressed interest and then passed. When SMP offered me a contract, my stomach dropped to my toes and then swooped up into my chest. It’s a euphoric feeling!

If it isn’t too nosy . How about the first time you kissed your true love?
We’re all friends here, right? LOL That first kiss was actually a disappointment (don’t tell him that) because it was pretty sedate (which is code for no tongue action). The 2nd kiss is what’s memorable. That one had all the bells and whistles, heat-inducing, heart-thumping, sensual and hot. That’s about all I’m gonna say on that one!

Other than your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?
Okay, when I want steam factor, I always go to Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. Not only are they smokin’, but she has a way of writing that makes you fall in love with characters that you’d otherwise think were dicks. Can I say that word on your blog??

Definitely. Say it three times if you want.

What is the most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?
What I really love is when people talk about characters in my books as though they were real people. It means I’ve connected with someone through my writing.

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?
Well, reading, natch. But I love the outdoors, whether it’s sitting in a lawnchair, putzing in my garden, or walking/hiking.

What genre or genres do you write?
I have a YA fantasy series, called the Last Moon Rising series, and a new adult urban fantasy. The book I’m writing now is a venture into the steamier side of urban fantasy.

follows the paths of two characters. Christian is half-reaper, half-human who’s enslaved to Giltine, the Goddess of Death. He bargains with her for his freedom, because what Christian wants most in the world is his freedom; freedom from living in the Other World, freedom from reaping souls, but most of all, he wants the freedom live life as a human and fall in love. Giltine curses him with the kiss of death, so while he does earn his freedom from her world, it ends in disaster. He needs an angel to break the curse.

Brooke is a long, long long lost descendant of a Naphil. She has issues of her own, because not only can she see reapers, she saw one steal her brother’s soul. After the traumatic experience, she sort of resigns from life because she fears the reapers. What she discovers about herself is that she has the power to stop reapers from stealing souls.

When the two meet, sparks fly. Christian can break his curse by kissing Brooke dead. Brooke can avenge her brother's murder by killing Christian. Neither planned to fall in love.

Wow. I love where your imagination takes you.

What’s your current WIP?
The working title of my current WIP is The Reaper’s Kiss. A little steamier than Kiss Me Dead, it follows the path of William, one of the minor characters in Kiss Me Dead. I like building characters that live in that gray area, embracing the idea that bad people can do good things, and good people can do bad things. We don’t live in a world that’s totally black and white, and neither do my books. That would be boring!